Q&A for How to Make a Copyright Notice

You can. The authors must own a copyright in all elements of the work. For example, both could have written a text jointly. If one wrote the text and another created pictures, then each author must register what they created unless they intend to own the work jointly.

Yes, it is normal to use your name when you are registering a copyright that you own. If you mean that your name will be used as a trademark, different laws apply for protection of that trademark.

Copyright registration is only required for filing a lawsuit in the US courts if you are a citizen of the USA or you are seeking "statutory damages" unique to the US laws. Registration is not even possible, let alone required, in most other countries.

Copyright does not include protection for "names." Those might be protectable under trademark laws. Choreography is copyrighted when you record it in a tangible form, such as video recording or diagrams.

Not necessarily. They are considered authors of the "supplemental work" that they have submitted for inclusion in your work. The exact ownership may be determined by the terms of the arrangement under which the supplemental work was contributed. One may prefer, for example, that an author of a preface/foreword NOT be deemed joint author (and thus copyright owner) of the entire work, and that can be specifically agreed beforehand.

According to Google, copyright law protects original prints and patterns, unique color arrangements and novel combinations of elements (protectable or non-protectable) used on apparel and accessories, but in most cases, not fashion designs themselves.

No, the Copyright Office has determined that such materials are of insufficient "creativity and originality" to qualify for copyright protection. However, it could be trademarked; consult wikiHow article Trademark a Phrase .

When you post things online, you are granting everyone a license to copy and view your works. The specific terms of a particular website may include further license terms for other users. However, your online publication is automatically covered under international copyright laws, whether or not you have a copyright notice or a copyright registration. In the USA a registration is required if a US citizen wants to sue in federal court.

No. You don't need to add "copyright notice" to anything to protect it. A logo may be protected by copyright laws upon its creation, assuming it contains "creative work of original authorship." You may also protect a logo using trademark laws if it has been applied to goods or services in commerce. Some countries require registration for a trademark to be enforceable, but not the USA.

Copyright already applies to the work when it is created in a tangible form. Also, no copyright notice has been required in the USA since 1989.

Business names, copyrights and trademarks are governed by different laws and rules. There is nothing that automatically prevents you from using an album name as a business name, provided it is not done for purpose of fraud. There are MANY business names that are clearly taken from lyrics (e.g., "Strawberry Fields", "Penny Lane").

Yes. Copyright does not apply to names, so you can use an album name as your business name.

Copyright is already there when the essay is written and copyright registration is only required in the USA as a step in filing a lawsuit.

The code for a copyright symbol varies from one type of computer to the next, as well as the different applications (word processing, drawings, digital photographs, etc). You may be able to simply "copy and paste" an existing symbol from one place to another. On a Microsoft operating system, you can generate the symbol by holding the Alt key while pressing the sequence of 0,1,6,9 buttons on the numeric keypad, resulting in ©.

The only document you will "get back" from a copyright registration will be either a denial letter or a registration certificate. It may take 4 to 8 months for the complete process. Your works are, however, copyrighted the moment you record them in any tangible form, whether or not you ever file for registration.

If the arrangements are "creative works of original authorship" then they might be copyrightable as part of the copyrighted photograph.

Yes. Official registration is only required if you are in the United States (or other applicable country; most do not) and want to sue an offending work.

Yes, as long as the company's name is legally registered and functional business.

Yes, since copyright notice (in the USA) has been optional since 1989, you can use whatever author identification you choose. If you end up registering your copyright, the name should match what you put into the notice, to avoid delays in processing.

Your original works of creative authorship are copyrighted automatically from the moment you record them in any tangible form, including computer memory. You don't "copyright" things; they are already copyrighted by rule.

Your copyright covers whatever you have created and written down. If you mean your copyright registration (which is completely optional until you want to sue), it already covers whatever was in your deposit copy and any "derivative works" based upon that work.

The specifics of creating such as "derivative work" would depend upon how similar your work is to the copyrighted portions of the original, assuming the original has any copyright of its own.

You would probably need a trademark license to use distinctive names or shapes and a copyright license to use specific characters or derivative artwork.

You may want to review the guidelines of licensing Creative Commons works. See further: How to Attribute a Creative Commons Licensed Work.

Probably not, since the US Copyright Office does not recognize sufficient "creativity" in a single word or short phrase or title, to trigger legal protection under copyright laws. If you apply it to goods or services in commerce, it may become an enforceable trademark.